One of the last remaining fragrances from the Pafory Calendar 2025. After a brief test in December, I spontaneously decided to wear it today.
French Defense opens with an alcoholic note and becomes increasingly sweeter as it develops. While the much-discussed cherry initially keeps a rather low profile, it becomes more and more noticeable during the drydown and takes center stage toward the end. To explain what kind of cherry we are dealing with here, it helps to recall the different types of cherries. There are the fresh, rather bright red cherries that you pick straight from the tree and that taste simply sweet and fruity. This is definitely not that kind of cherry. Instead, I was inevitably reminded of a dark red, almost black, preserved cherry. Similar to an Amarena cherry, except that rum or a similarly strong alcohol was used instead of sugary syrup. The cherry spent many months in this pool and gradually took on an increasingly darker appearance. A beautiful image that makes this fragrance seem more refined and mature than one might expect at first glance from the note pyramid.
Longevity and sillage are comfortably average. The fragrance remains clearly recognizable on my skin for around 6 hrs.; others perceive it from a distance of several meters at first, and later mainly only close to the skin. In terms of classification, I find French Defense similar to Delphinus: A perfect unisex fragrance whose profile sits exactly in the middle and is highly wearable for both genders. Men will appreciate the dark cherry and a certain booziness; for women, the spicy-fruity sweetness is a clear argument in its favor.
Conclusion: French Defense certainly does not reinvent the wheel, and at the asking price, one inevitably has to wonder whether there are not better/cheaper alternatives with a dark cherry note. Nevertheless, I can appreciate quite a lot about this juice and - compared with quite a few others from the Pafory Calendar - will remember it fondly. Mind Games also has nothing to hide from its competition when it comes to performance. I like it!!
